Dr. Robert Redfield named Senior Adviser for Public Health.
Annapolis, Md (KM) A mass vaccination clinic is expected to open in Hagerstown by the end of this month. It will be located at the Premium Outlets. Clinical services will be provided by Meritus Medical Center.
At his news conference on Tuesday, Governor Larry Hogan said it’s one of three mass centers opening up around Maryland to provide vaccines against COVID-19. Another one will open at the Wicomico County Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury no later than March 18th. A center in southern Maryland at the Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf will open Thursday, March 4th.
In other developments, Governor Hogan said there was an increase in vaccine allocations this week. “With this week’s incremental increase in supply, we were able to increase our allocations to providers all across the state. This week, hospitals and local health departments received increases in their allocations,” he said.
Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner said the county received 1800 doses, which is more than the 1300 that was expected. Frederick Health Hospital received 1,000 doses, an increase from the 600 it was expecting.
The Governor said there is the possibility of providers getting additional doses, but they need to use all of the vaccine they receive. “Providers will be required to administer all of the doses that they receive within one week of delivery in order to be prioritized for an increase in allocation,” he said. “The goal here is to get the vaccine from the federal government deployed out immediately and into the arm of a person who needs it.”
If the vaccine is not used within a week of delivery, Hogan says the state will take action. “If any provider is unable to meet this standard of utilizing doses in the same week that they are received, state health officials will work with them to either transfer their doses, or to pause their allocation shipments until they are able to catch up.”
Frederick County health officials have said they use every drop of the vaccine they receive; nothing goes to waste.
Redfield
Also on Tuesday, Governor Hogan announced that Dr. Robert Redford, the former Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will join his team as the Senior Adviser for Public Health “where he will advises on a wide range of immediate priorities, including planning our response to the coronavirus variants, our COVID-19 vaccine campaign and our science-based plan for fully and safely reopening our state.”
Dr. Redfield congratulated Governor on his leadership during the pandemic, which he called “a model for our nation.”
Also, he urged Marylanders to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s their turn. “Vaccines are the most important gift of science,” he said. “And today we have three vaccines: the Pfizer, Moderna and the J&J {Johnson and Johnson}”
“These vaccines are highly effective in preventing .serious disease, hospitalization and death,” Dr. Redfield continued.
Governor Hogan says Maryland has received 49,600 of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine this week. He says the federal government has informed him it will not ship out any more J&J vaccines until March 18th.
By Kevin McManus